Thank You, Aerith
by Moonly.Sunkiss
Summary: Clack. Zack x Cloud fluff. Slight AU Cloud always knew that Aerith, the florist from down the street and his long-time friend, was the sweetest person ever. He didn’t expect her to be this wonderful, though.


Hey, Moonly . Sunkiss here. :) I'm known as _yamira_jean _on LJ. I decided to publish a few works I wrote on the ever-loved _Clack _community: **Behind Blue Eyes**. I admit I was hesitant to post here, seeing as there are a lot of talented writers on this site (I'm intimidated by your greatness~). But I've gained a reasonable amount of confidence the last few days, and I decided to try posting an old story first. :) Thank you in advance to those who took the time to read! Your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated!

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**SUMMARY:**

Cloud always knew that Aerith, the florist from down the street and his long-time friend, was the sweetest person ever. He didn't expect her to be _this_ wonderful, though.

**DISCLAIMER:**

_Moonly . Sunkiss_ does not own Final Fantasy VII – its characters, plot and title.

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I hope you like what I've written :) Clack foreveeer~!

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**Thank You, Aerith** by Moonly . Sunkiss

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"..."

"...So, what do you think?"

"...uhhh..."

Cloud stared at the rather extravagant-looking bouquet with little interest. The arrangement was, undeniably, the best, considering this was Aerith, the owner of a successful flowershop from down the street. The florist comes by every now and then to have some of her orders delivered by Cloud's delivery service. And right now, it seems that some lovey-dovey, assumably rich guy ordered one heck of a bouquet.

Well, good for Aerith, he supposed.

The brunette's green-green eyes sparkled as she gave him her one-of-a-kind smile. "Well? _'uhhh'_ what?" She leaned forward and rested her arms on the counter.

Cloud moved a hindering stem away from his face. He scrunched up his nose when the petals accidentally hit his face. Aerith's giggles reached his ears, and this automatically summoned a sigh from his lips.

"The flowers are beautiful, Aerith." He then gave his long-time friend a small smile. He moved the basket aside and copied the long-braided girl's stance. "As usual," he added, a little hushed this time.

Aerith heard it and laughed, covering her mouth. "_As usual_? What's that supposed to mean, Cloud?"

"I meant that they're..." The delivery boy sighed and ran a slender hand through sun-kissed hair. He didn't mean to sound so cryptic. He turned around and started poking at the tiny drawers that weren't really being used. Okay, what to say, what to say... "They're wonderful, as usual. I mean, it's _you_. You always make things so beautiful, it's just..."

_"Just what, Spike?"_

Cloud's head jerked up and he turned a little too quickly to look at Aerith. He blinked and shook his head. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked, just what, Cloud?" Aerith's expression soon morphed from cheery to slightly worried. She tilted her head to the side in slight wonder.

"...ohh. I see." Cloud then pulled out a small pad of paper and slapped it on the counter. "I guess it's because I always see you use ribbons and laces. The arrangements are unique, but you know..." He trailed off, not sure whether he should continue or not. In mid-muse, he realized that he was missing a pen. He sighed and muttered 'pen' and went inside the backroom.

The kind girl smiled and nodded. "That's okay, Cloud. I'm glad you're being open." Aerith called out as she fingered the white and pink petals of the bouquet she brought in. With every twist and twirl, her smile only seemed to grow wider. "The only person I know you're open with is Za—"

"Here." The blue-eyed blond came in, coincidentally cutting off his friend. He brandished the object and positioned himself in front of Aerith -- pen and pad paper ready.

Aerith watched him with slight amusement. "What's that for, Cloud?"

Cloud looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "For your delivery, of course. You know, you're supposed to put in the recipient's name and address—"

"OH. Right, right." She giggled and took the pen and pad paper from his hands. "I remember. I'll be done in a minute."

As she started filling out the needed information, Cloud's line of sight wandered idly to the beautiful bouquet that seemed to emit a bright glow, as it is conveniently placed where the sun hits the countertop. The petals of bright pink, white, red and gold were arranged so magnificently... well, it was just perfect. Ribbons and laces hugged the basket wonderfully, and the colors... Cloud wasn't much of an artist, but he knew art when it was staring at him right in the face.

And yet...

_'Something seems missing,'_ He voiced in his head. He pouted a bit since he didn't really know _what_ was so wrong with it. Cloud scratched his head. Ughh, thinking on a tiring day is so... tiring.

Delivery boys weren't meant to think.

"Done!" Aerith's chirp pulled him out of the abyss-like depths of his mind. He reached out for the pen and paper and began to read whatever his friend wrote and—

...wait a minute.

"...Aerith..."

Aerith stifled a giggle as she watched Cloud's expression. "Yes, Cloud?"

"...this recipient and his address...?"

A knowing-smile lurked on her pretty face. "Yes?"

"...it's mine."

She grinned this time and nodded. "Yup, yup! It is!"

Cloud shook his head and raised an eyebrow at Aerith. "But _why_? The flowers aren't REALLY for me, are they?"

"I wouldn't have written your name and address if that wasn't the case, Cloud." She stuck a tongue out. She held the basket and shoved it towards the blond boy. "So here ya go! Pretty and perfect, _as usual_." She giggled.

The delivery boy backed away a bit, a little unsure. "...uhhh..."

Cloud still continued to be confused, so Aerith, kind and compassionate as she was, decided to help him. "They're for _you_, silly!"

He still continued to look unsure. "Umm... but from who...?"

She giggled. "Aww, you know who." She then turned her head to gaze at the wall clock. Aerith turned back to smile at Cloud. "Well, I still have three bouquets to make. I'll see you later, Cloud!" The brunette waved and started to walk to the exit.

"Aerith, wai—"

"Ohh, by the way," She stopped opening the door, the bell chiming. "Your _something missing's_ somewhere in there, Cloud." She winked and with that, she was gone.

Cloud glanced questioningly at the bouquet before moving to tear it apart. Before he could do actual damage, though, he found a small envelope tangled in the green stems and ribbons. He plucked it out of its jungle-like environment and turned it over to read --

Zack.

A warm blush lit on his pale cheeks. He looked around, half-expecting Tifa or Yuffie to conveniently pop out, and opened the envelope. There was a short message, most likely written in his own handwriting (the fact that he couldn't understand half of it proves it). When he managed to decode though, this is what he read:

_Spike,_

_Hey buddy! This is probably the 'just what' you keep looking for, right? Heh, heh. You better make this worth it, buddy; I paid good money for this thing!_

_Love,_

_The Unbelievably Gorgeous Zack_

It took Cloud a few seconds to understand what the message meant. When realization dawned, he smiled. He was about to put it back inside the envelope when he saw an extra message:

_P.S._

_I reserved a dinner for us at that fancy restaurant you always wanted to go to. You better make_**_that_**_worth it, too._

With that in mind, Cloud could only say:

_"Thank you, Aerith."_

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**END**

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*grin* I hope you guys enjoyed it. :) Reviews are love!


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